New Technologys in Atrazine Removal from Environment with Emphasis on Biodegradation: A Review

Considering the lack of agricultural lands and the loss of products by pests, utilization of pesticides like atrazine has increased. Due to low vapor pressure, high half-life, and high mobility, this herbicide results in pollution of different ecosystems. In regard with its toxicity, US Environmental Protection Agency has ranked atrazine in III class. Due to its potential capacity in polluting groundwater, it is highly significant.
Many chemical and physical methods have been introduced to remove this herbicide from soil and water environments; however, these methods involve high expenses and cause the creation of other toxic products. Due to development of the science of interaction between man and nature, nowadays biological treatment is uniquely significant. Biological treatment is a process in which microorganisms are utilized to convert and decompose pollutants existing in the environment.
Biodegradation is economically and environmentally the best approach to remove long-standing pollutants from the environment. Nowadays, genetic engineering extensively utilizes local or modified microorganisms in treating the environments polluted with pesticides. Finally, in order to further utilize this green technology, it is necessary to specify the soil properties and also conduct ecotoxicological studies in order to identify the capacity of local microorganisms of water and soil.